Call for Nominations: ASA Editor-in-Chief, Crop Science editor, The Plant Genome editor

May 22, 2020

ASA and CSSA seek nominations for incoming Crop Science and The Plant Genome Editors (two distinct positions). They also seek nominations for the ASA Editor-in-Chief position. Each position is for a three-year term of service to begin 1 Jan. 2021. Candidates are expected to be visionary as the publication ecosystem is experiencing rapid changes in scientific content delivery as well as publishing models. In addition, there is fierce competition for authors and readers. Prior editorial experience with ASA, CSSA, or SSSA publications or those having similar subject matter/structure is required.

Candidates for the positions are appointed to three-year terms, with eligibility for a second three-year term, but not a third term without an intervening three-year period. The positions are appointed by the Society's president upon confirmation by its board of directors and carry a great deal of responsibility as well as personal satisfaction. It is expected that the candidates chosen will be able to attend the 2020 Annual Meeting, which will be held 8-11 November in Phoenix, AZ, allowing for a timely and smooth transition into the position.

Position Duties

ASA Editor-in-Chief

The ASA Editor-in-Chief is expected to provide visionary leadership for ASA publications and the scholarly communication of its members as well as implementing the editorial policies established by the Society's board of directors. Both modes and business models for scholarly communication are undergoing rapid evolution, and Society publishing needs to embrace the transition. Drivers of this change include federal open science regulations, open access business models, the emerging need for publication and curation of data sets coupled with improved knowledge translation for the public including Certified Crop Advisers, and increased pressure for transparency, repeatability, and reproducibility in science. The Editor-in-Chief should be well versed in or eager to learn about current trends in scholarly communication and excited about opportunities to innovate to ensure the sustainability of our publications while growing the profile and impact of our membership's science products.

In addition, the Editor-in-Chief will

participate and engage in discussions between the ACSESS publications leadership and Wiley regarding opportunities and strategies for green and gold open access;
collaborate with the ACSESS Director of Publications in identifying and prioritizing innovations with potential to increase visibility and use of ACSESS publications and educational materials (e.g., controlled vocabularies, deep indexing, publication of FAIR-compliant structured data, certification of peer reviewers, etc.);
advise the ACSESS CEO and Executive Committee(s) on emerging issues and opportunities in scholarly communication; and
act as an adviser to the staff of CSA News magazine by proposing development of focus issues, member profiles, story ideas, etc., and providing subject matter expert guidance. The Editor-in-Chief will represent his or her individual branches of science and work in conjunction with the other Society Editors-in-Chief on development of major publishing initiatives with support from staff.

Editor

The Crop Science Editor and The Plant Genome Editor are expected to

provide general leadership for the journal;
chair the journal's editorial board;
consider questions of editorial practices that promote the dissemination of exceptionally high quality scientific knowledge and the uniformity of format, style, and procedures in conjunction with the Society's leadership;
appoint Associate Editors to the journal's editorial board on behalf of the Society's President;
serve as a member of the Societies’ Editorial Affairs, Policies, and Practices Committee; and
serve as a liaison to other societies and individuals to ensure the international and multidisciplinary scope of the journal's content and readership base.

Nomination Procedure, Deadline

Interested persons may nominate themselves or be nominated by an active member of ASA, CSSA, or SSSA. Candidates should email (i) a vita including a list of previous editorial experience and (ii) a vision statement for the journal (Editor positions) or Society's publications (Editor-in-Chief) not exceeding one page.

Submit nominations for the ASA Editor-in-Chief position by 1 July 2020 to ASA President Sylvie Brouder (Send Message). Please contact Dr. Brouder for a complete position description or with any questions.

Submit nominations for the Crop Science Editor position and The Plant Genome Editor position by 1 July 2020 to CSSA Editor-in-Chief Wayne Smith (Send Message). Please contact Dr. Smith with any questions.

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